Striker bar suspension for selective punch device



Feb. 25, 1964 E. E. MASTERSON 3,122,311

STRIKER BAR SUSPENSION FOR SELECTIVE PUNCH DEVICE Filed April 10, 1962 3Sheets-Sheet 1 m 3 K a 3 INVENTOR. m 55 5AA! f. MAJffKSO/J. 52/

/MM m ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1964 E. E. MASTERSON STRIKER BAR SUSPENSION FORSELECTIVE PUNCH DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 10, 1962 INVENTOR.[4K1 E MAJTZKJO/V.

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ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1964 E. E. MASTERSON STRIKER BAR SUSPENSION FORSELECTIVE PUNCH DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 10, 1962VIIIIIIIIIIM TIIIIIIIIIIIL IN VEN TOR.

5/41?! 5 MASTZ/PSO/V.

ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,122,311 STRIKER BAR SUSPENSlON FSRSELECTIVE PUNCH DEVICE Earl I). Masterson, Hickory Lane, Weston, Conn,

assignor to Sperry Rand Corporation, New York, N.Y.,

a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 186,33 13Claims. (Cl. 234-119) This invention relates generally to machinery forhandling data-tabulating cards, and in particular to an improvedcard-punching mechanism.

Conventional tabulating cards are widely used in a variety ofdata-processing applications. In many of these high speed is a veryimportant objective, both for reasons of economics, in view of the highcost of data-processing machine time, and for the sake of compatibilitywith the great speeds attainable by electronic equipment. The latterneed is seen, for example, in the case of a cardhanclling machine suchas a summary punch used in an online relationship with an electroniccomputer, which means that the speed of the entire system is limited tothat of the lowest component, usually a mechanical unit such as thecard-handling machine. Consequently, it is desirable to designcard-handling machinery which is capable of operating at high speeds.But such high speed operation creates certain problems, for example thewear which occurs Where there is sliding contact between hearing partsmoving very rapidly in accordance with high speed data-processingrequirements. Thus, as speeds go up problems of lubrication areaccentuated, and the length of time that the machine can operate beforesuch bearing parts require replacement or adjustment is sharply reduced,because the machines perform more operating cycles per unit time, andbecause the amount of wear per cycle increases with higher operatingspeeds.

Information is entered on tabulating cards by coded combinations ofholes punched in the cards. Machinery in which the present invention maybe used is designed to perform this punching operation. Typically suchcardpunching machinery employs a line of punching tools, one such toolfor each of the hole locations in a line extending along the width orlength dimension of the card. All the punching tools of the line areactuated by a single striker bar which reciprocates at a distancetherefrom, and a punching tool selection mechanism is interposed betweenthe striker bar and the line of punching tools to select which of thepunching tools shall be actuated and which shall be idle on eachparticular actuating stroke of the striker bar.

Regardless of which particular punching tools, if any, are actuated onany given stroke, the striker bar keeps reciprocating very rapidly so asto provide a drive which is continuously available whenever a particularcombination of punching tools is selected for actuation. Tabulatingcards are fed past the operating location of the punching tools at arather high rate, and each of, for example, twelve rows of holes on eachcard are punched in rapid succession. In high speed data-processing thisoperation may have to be repeated at punching speeds of the order of 75rows per second. This means that the punching mechanism must be capableof 75 punching operations per second; therefore the striker bar mustreciprocate at a rate of 75 cycles per second throughout operation ofthe card-punching machine, whether or not cards are actually beingpunched at any given moment.

In the past, the art has resorted to sliding friction bearings to mountthe striker bar and its associated members for speed reciprocation. InUS. Patent No. 3,017,- 077 of ianuary 16, 1962, for example, thecarriage for the reciprocating punch-actuating bar is slidinglyreciprocated in a cylindrical guide. Such a guide may make 3,122,311Patented Feb. 25, 1964 use of the known friction-reducing properties ofsintered oil-impregnated materials such as Oilite for such applications.In spite of such expedients, during high speed operation such structureswear and after a time they require replacement or adjustment.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a striker barmounting which alleviates the problem of wear. More particularly, thisinvention aims to provide a mechanism of this type which completelyeliminates sliding friction in the suspension of the reciprocatingstriker bar. Another object is to provide a striker bar suspension whichis inexpensive to manufacture.

An illustrative example of a punching mechanism embodying thisinvention, and exhibiting these and other advan ageous features,comprises apparatus formed with a cutting surface and includingactuating means effective in response to movement in a selecteddirection to drive the cutting surface operatively against the materialto be punched. Then there is provided at least one flexible membersupporting the actuating means, and being sufficicntly bendable topermit the required movement of the actuating means.

The device of which the foregoing is a brief summary, may be more fullyappreciated by reference to the following detailed description, whenread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are asfollows:

FIGS. IA through C are a sequence of side elevational views, with partsbroken away, sectioned, or removed for clarity of illustration, showingsuccessive stages in the operation of a card-punching mechanism withwhich the present invention may be employed, with FIGS. IB and Cillustrating a striker bar suspension in accordance with this invention;

FIG. ID is a front elevational view, also with parts broken away,sectioned, and omitted, of the mechanism of FIGS. IA through C;

FIG. IE is an enlarged detail of FIG. ID;

And FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of astriker bar suspension in accordance with this invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings, FIG. IA illustrates acard-punching mechanism of the type which pro vides a typicalenvironment for the reciprocating suspension of this invention. Apunching tool it), the upper part of which is seen in FIG. IA, isvertically oriented and is mounted, in a manner which will subsequentlybe discussed, for a vertical movement in which it is driven downwardlyagainst the material to be punched, e.g. a tabulating card, and issubsequently pulled upwmdly to extract it from the punched hole.

The downward impetus is applied to the punching tool it by a striker bar12 which reciprocates vertically, as indicated by arrows A. The punchingtool 10 would generally be one of, for example, up to eighty suchpunching tools arranged in a row extending perpendicularly to the planeof FIG. IA. The reciprocating striker bar 12 which is seen in section inFIG. 1A, also extends perpendicularly to the plane of that figure andparallel to the row of punching tools 16, so as to be able to actuateall of the eighty individual punching tools in the row. The full lengthof the striker bar 12 is seen in FIG. ID.

In order to select which of the punching tools 10 are to be actuated onany given operating stroke of the striker bar 12, there are providedselector mechanisms generally designated 14-, each interposed betweenthe striker bar 12 and the respective punching tools 10. Each selectormechanism 14 includes a mounting plate 16, and an interposer l3, rockinglever 2% bell crank 22, and cushion ing lever 24 mounted on the face ofthe mounting plate 16. All these members are stamped from sheet metal tomake them sufiiciently flat for the selector mechanism 14 to be readilyaccommodated within the thickness (in a direction perpendicular to theplane of FIG. IA) of the single punching tool operated thereby. FIG. IDillustrates this by showing the way in which the assemblies of theinterposers 18 and mounting plates 16 of each punching tool 10 arearranged along the length of the striker bar 12.

Each interposer 13 can be pivoted between one position wherein it isinterposed between the striker bar 12 and its punching tool 16 totransmit the motion of the former to the latter, and another position(seen in FIG. IA) wherein it does not so transmit this motion. Theinterposer 18 is pivotally nested within a recess 29a formed in therocking lever 2% which rests atop the punching tool 19 and has itsright-hand end pivotally connected by means of a pin 3%) to the mountingplate 16. A tension spring 32 is connected between the left hand end ofthe rocking lever 20 and the interposer 18, to bias the latter forcounterclockwise rotation toward a position wherein it is struck by thestriker bar 12 to transmit the motion thereof to the punching tool 10.However, the interposer 18 is prevented from so moving by the bell crank22, the mid-section of which is pivotally connected to the mountingplate 16 by a pin 36. A latching arm 22a of the bell crank 22 engages alatching tail 18a of the interposer 18 to hold the latter in theposition illustrated in FIG. IA, wherein its upper end is rotated awayfrom the striker bar 12- so as not to be struck thereby and thus not totransmit the motion of the striker bar to the punching tool 10. 7 FIG.IB shows the interpeser 18 in position to permit the striker bar 12 todrive the punching tool 16. As the striker bar 12 is on its upwardstroke, an armature arm 22b of the bell crank 22 is attracted upwardly,as indicated by arrow C, by a solenoid 46 which is accommodated within acut-out 16a formed in the mounting plate 16 (see FIG. IA), and which hasjust been energized. This rotates the bell crank 22 counterclockwiseabout its pivot pin 36 to move the latching arm 22a thereof out oflatching engagement with the interposer tail 1811, thus permitting theupper part of the interposer 18 to rotate counterclockwise toward thestriker bar 12 under the urging of the tension spring 32, as indicatedby arrow D.

When the armature arm 22b is fully attracted by the solenoid 40 and theupper part of the interposer 18 has fully rotated under the influence ofthe tension spring 32, a striking surface 18b thereof is directly belowthe striker bar 12, which has now descended as indicated by arrow E. Alimiting head 18c at the upper end of the interposer 18 hits against theside of the descending striker bar 12 to limit the counterclockwiserotation of the interposer 18 once the latter has reached this position,illustrated in FIG. 18. FIG. ID permits a ready comparison ofinterposers 18 which are in this position preparatory to actuating theirrespective punching tools 10, and other interposers 18 which remain inthe punch-idling position.

As the striker bar 12 descends against the striking surface 18b of theinterposer 18, it drives the latter down wardly against the rockinglever 20, which in turn pivots counterclockwise about its pin 39 toexert a downward driving forceagainst the top of the punching tool it(The fact that the interposer 18 and rocking lever 29 move downwardlytogether keeps the tension spring 32 tensed therebetween to maintain thebiasing force on the interposer.) The punching tool 10 then ridesdownwardly through a bore formed in a pair of upper and lower punchingtool guides 59 and 52 respectively to drive a cutting surface 1th; atthe lower end thereof through the body of a tabulating card T which hasbeen inserted between upper and lower card guide plates 54 and 55respectively, and between the upper and lower punching tool guides 50and 52.

In FIG. IC the striker bar 12 has risen again, as indicated by arrow F,and the punching tool is being extracted from the hole which it has justpunched in the IA-C, extending perpendicularly to the plane of thesefigures and parallel to the row of punching tools 10. The crossbar 64-is iorrned with a tongue 64a which projects into notch 10b formed ineach of the punching tools 10; Each such notch 1% has a large enoughvertical dimension so that whenever the particular punching tool 10 isnot being actuated the tongue 64a rides idly therein as the stripperbail 6i) oscillates vertically as indicated by arrows G of FIG. IA, H ofFIG. IB, and I of FIG. IC, which it does under the influence of aconventional cam drive (not shown). However, when a particular punchingtool 19 has been actuated downwardly to perforate the tabulating card T,then on the next upward cycle of the stripper bail 6t) (arrow I in FIG.IC) the tongue 64a engages the upper wall of the notch 16b to raise thepunching tool it). This not only extracts the punching tool It from thehole in the tabulating card T, but also causes the punching tool 10 topush upwardly and thereby rotate the rocking lever 2d clockwise aboutits pin 30 to its original position. The interposer 18, nested in therecess Zita of the rocking lever 2b, is also moved upwardly therewith.By this stage in the cycle the solenoid as has been de-energized,releasing the armature arm 22b of the bell crank 22 and allowing thelatter to be rotated clockwise, as indicated by arrow L, by acompression spring 79 which is received within the solenoid 40 and whichacts against the armature arm 22b. This moves the latching arm 22a intoposition once again to make latching engagement with the tail 18a of theinterposer 18 as the latter moves upwardly. As a result of the torqueexerted on the iuterposer 18 by the downward force of the latchin arm22a and the upward thrust of the rocking lever 28, the upper end of theinterposer is rotated clockwise, as indicated by arrow M, away from thestriker bar 12. At this point the selector mechanism 14 is now returnedto its initial position of FIG. IA, and is ready to start a newoperating cycle.

In order to assure that the hell crank latching arm 22a comes to rest inthe proper place for engaging the interposer tail 18a, there is provideda stop member 72 which is secured to the mounting plate 16 (FIG. IA) bya screw 74. The stop 72 is eccentric with respect to the screw 74 sothat it can be adjusted by rotation thereabout. be appreciated that asthe bell crank 22 is driven back to its initial position by thecompression spring 70, the

latching arm 22a strikes the stop 72 to limit thereturn mo- 7 1 tion ofthe bell crank 22. In order to pre 'ent the latching arm 22a fromthereupon rebounding off the stop'72 and thus being out of position tomake latching engagement with the interposer tail 18:: at the propertime, there is provided the cushioning lever 24 which is pivotallyconnected to the mounting plate 16 by means of a pin 76; A short arm24:; of this cushioning lever 24 is connected member 72, but normallythe action of the compression spring 7% overrides that of the tensionspring 78 so that the latching arm 22a rests against the stop 72, thusholding the cushioning lever 24 away from the stop as seen in FIG. IA.However, as seen in PEG. IB, when the bell crank 22 has been attractedby the solenoid 4d the tension spring 78 then rotates the cushioninglever 24 against the stop 72 so that he hooked abutment 24b thereofprotrudes into the return path of the latching arm 22a.

Upon its return, the latching arm 22a then strikes the; hooked abutment24b and drives the cushioning-lever 24 back from the stop 72. In orderto do this it must tense It will The hooked V the spring 73, which thusprovides a cushioning action allowing the latching arm 22a to strike thestop 72 more gently so as not to rebound therefrom.

As seen in FIGS. B, C, and D, in accordance with this invention thestriker bar 12 is mounted on a carriage 109 by means of a horizontalextension 12a which is secured thereto by bolts such as 102. Thecarriage 100 is secured at either end to a pair of pillars 194 by meansof bolts 1%. These pillars 1&4 in turn are supported upon one end offour flexible members 108 in the form of flexure springs made ofleaf-shaped strips of sheet material. The other ends of the flexuresprings 168 are secured to another pair of pillars 110, only one ofwhich is visible in the drawings, which in turn are secured by means ofbolts such as 112 to a depending part of the fixed frame 89 of thecard-punching machine. The ends of the fiexure springs 8 are clampedagainst the pillars 11M and lit) by means of clamping bars 114 whichclasp the flexure springs against the pillars 104- and 119 and aresecured thereto by bolts such as 116.

In FIG. IE it is seen that when the assembly of the pillars 104-,carriage 1G0, and striker bar 12 is driven downwardly through itspunch-actuating stroke, the fiex-ure springs Hi8 bend in the mannerillustrated, thus providing a suspension which allows these members therequired freedom of vertical movement. Thereafter the flexure springs198 spring back to the position of FIG. IC. The flat shape of thesprings 1&8 is adapted to permit this motion, which is perpendicular tothe planes that these springs define, yet it oifers sufficient rigidityparallel to those planes to restrain motion in any direction other thanperpendicular thereto. It will be appreciated that the springs 10% ofthis suspension are easily and inexpensively stamped from sheetmaterials and their tolerances are not as critical as those ofconventional cylindrical guides. They are also free from rubbingfriction, and therefore they need no lubrication, yet provide a low-wearmechanism well adapted to the high operating speeds required oftabulating card equipment.

However, in order to lengthen the life of the flexure springs 108 it isadvisable to prevent the bending stresses exerted on them from beingconcentrated at the places where they emerge from between the pillars1G4 and 11b and the clamping bars 114. This is done by making thecurvatures of these clamping bars and pillars at the locations 118 quitegentle, as shown in FIGS. IB, C, and D. It is also advisable to minimizethe effects of the bending stresses on the springs 198 by fabricatingthem of materials such as steel, beryllium copper, or Phosphor bronze,and by choosing their dimensions such that they operate well within thestatic and dynamic stress and fatigue limits of the material. Anotherdesign consideration to be borne in mind is the fact that in bending topermit vertical reciprocation, the springs 19% introduce a smallhorizontal component into the motion of the striker bar assembly(carriage 169 and striker bar 12). However this is easily compensatedfor by making the horizontal extent of the interposer striking surface 1b large enough to be under the striker bar 12 at all relevant phases ofits vertical reciprocation. The use of springs 1&8 at both the top andbottom of the pillars 1&4 and lit) results in a kind of rectangularlinkage which keeps the carriage 104} in a vertical attitude so that theproblem of horizontal motion is not accentuated by tilting of thecarriage.

The drive for the reciprocating motion of the striker bar assembly isseen in FIGS. IC and D. The carriage 100 oscillates vertically within arecess 8 3a formed in an overhanging part of the fixed machine frame 80.The horizontal dimension of this recess 86a as seen in section in FIG.IC is made large enough to provide clearance 134, the section of theshaft between the two cams being formed with an eccentric portion a tocounter the dynamic imbalance of the cams. These cams 134 work againstcam follower rollers 136 rotatably mounted upon stub shafts 13 8 Withinslots 160:1 formed in the carriage 1%, to drive the carriage and strikerbar 12 downwardly through their punch actuating stroke.

In order to return the carriage 10% at the end of each suchpunch-actuatnig stroke, there are provided a number of return springs140, one of which is shown in the drawing. One such spring is mounted ineach of five openings 1619b formed in the carriage 100. These returnsprings 14% act in compression upwardly against the upper surface oftheir respective openings 16% to return the carriage 109 upwardly aftereach driving cycle of the cams 134. At their lower ends the springs 140act downwardly against U-shaped spring seats 142. As seen in FIG. ICthese spring seats 142 have front and rear horizontal lugs 142a and 14%which are secured by means of bolts such as 144 to the front and rearundersurfaces lib and 860 respectively of the overhanging portion of thefixed machine frame 86". The central portions 142a of the U-shapedmembers 142 extend through the respective openings will; of the carriage106 to provide a base against which the return springs 14% actdownwardly. Springretainer dowels 144 (one of which is shown in FIG. ID)are oriented within each return spring 140 and are secured by means ofbolts such as 146 to the central portions 1420 of the respective springseats 142.

In the alternative embodiment of FIG. II, it is seen that the strikerbar 12' is again secured by means of a horizontal extension 12a andbolts such as 1G2 to the lower end of a carriage 1%. In this embodimentthe upper end or" the carriage 106' forms a yoke 2% which rotatablyreceives and is mounted upon a disc 202 eccentrically carried upon adrive shaft (not shown) journaled on the fixed frame 8% of the machinein a fashion similar to the drive shaft 139 in FIG. 'I-F. This eccentricarrangement is the drive which vertically oscillates the carriage 1% andstriker bar 12'. A pair of brackets 210, one of which is visible in thedrawing, are secured by bolts such as 2142 to the fixed machine frame80', and depend therefrom. In this embodiment only two flexure springs1% are required for restraining and supporting the lower end of thecarriage 10%) and striker bar 12, one such spring being visible in thedrawing. One end of each of the flexure springs 1% is clamped to thelower end of the bracket 2113 by means of a clamping bar 114' and boltssuch as 116' in the manner previously described. The other ends of thesprings 108' are secured between the carriage 1% and the clamping barformed by the striker bar horizontal extension 12a. On members 114' and1241' the stress-relieving curvatures H8 are again employed. Here againthe springs Th8 bend vertically in a friction-free manner to allow thestriker bar 7 12' the necessary latitude of vertical movement, whileacting to restrain undesired horizontal movement thereof.

The foregoing illustrates preferred ways of practicing this invention;but since there may be countless other specific applications of the sameprinciples, the scope of protection is not limited to any particularexamples, but is defined more generally in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

1. Apparatus having a cutting tool means formed with a cutting surface;

II. And including actuating means arranged to provide movement to saidcutting tool means in a selected direction operatively against thematerial;

III. And further including interposer means arranged to selectively forman operative connection between said cutting tool means and saidactuating means;

IV. And at least one flexible member secured in place and connected tolimit displacement of the actuating means transversely to the selecteddirection and being sufiiciently bendable to permit such movementthereof in the selected direction.

2 A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. At least one punching tool;

II. Means reciprocable in a selected direction to provide movement tosaid punching tool operatively against the material;

III. And further including interposer means arranged to selectively forman operative connection between said punching tool and said reciprocablemeans;

IV. Andat least one flexible member secured in place and connected tolimit displacement of the reciprocable means transversely to theselected direction and being sufiiciently bendable to permit suchreciprocation thereof in the selected direction.

3. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. At least one punching tool;

II. Means reciprocable in a selected direction to provide movement tosaid punching tool operatively against the material;

III. And further including interposer means arranged to selectively forman operative connection between said punching tool and said reciprocablemeans;

IV. At least one flexible leaf arranged with its plane substantiallyperpendicular to the selected direction, secured in place and connectedto limit displacement of the reciprocable means transversely to theselected direction and being sufliciently bendable to permit suchreciprocation thereof in the selected direction.

4. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. At least one punching tool;

II. Means reciprocable in a selected direction to provide movement tosaid punching tool operatively against the material;

III. And further including interposer means arranged to selectively forman operative connection between said punching tool and said reciprocablemeans;

IV. And at least one flexible member extending in a direction transverseto the selected direction, secured in place and connected to limitdisplacement of the reciprocable means transversely to the selecteddirection and being sufiiciently bendable to permit such reciprocationthereof in the selected direction.

5. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. At least one punching tool;

'11. Means reciprocable in a selected direction to provide movement tosaid punching tool operatively against the material;

III. And further including interposer means arranged to selectively forman operative connection between said punching tool and said reciprocablemeans;

IV. And at least one flexure spring extending in a direction transverseto the selected direction, secured in place and connected to limitdisplacement of the reciprocable means transversely to the selecteddirection and being sufiiciently bendable to permit such reciprocationthereof in the selected direction.

6. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. At least one punching tool;

II. Means located at a distance from the punching tool and reciprocablein a selected direction to drive the punching tool operatively againstthe material;

III. Interposer means located substantially between the punching tooland the reciprocable means;

IV. Means mounting the interposer means for movement between a positioneffective to transmit motion from the reciprocable means to the punchingtool, and a position effective to idle the punching tool;

V. And at least one fiexure spring extending in a direction transverseto the selected direction, secured in place and connected to limitdisplacement of the reciprocable means transversely to the selecteddirection and being sufiiciently bendable to permit such reciprocationthereof in the selected direction.

7. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. A plurality of punching tools arranged in a line extending in a firstdirection;

II. Means which A. Include a striker bar extending in the firstdirection and located at a distance from the punching tools, 7

B. And are reciprocable in a second direction to the striker bar todrive the punching tools operatively against the material;

Iii. A plurality of interposer means each located sub stantially betweena respective one of the punching tools and the striker bar;

IV. Means mounting each of the interposer means for movement between aposition efiective to transmit motion from the striker bar to itsrespective punching tool, and a position effective to idle itsrespective punching tool, whereby to select the desired punching toolsfor operation; I

V. And at least one flexure spring extending in a direction transverseto the second direction, secured in place and connected to limitdisplacement of the reciprocable means transversely to the seconddirection and being suficiently bendable to permit such reciprocationthereof in the second direction.

8. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. A plurality of punching tools arranged in a line extending in a firstdirection;

11. Means which A. Have opposite ends with respect to the firstdirection,

B. Include a striker bar extending in the first direction and located ata distance from the punching tools,

C. And are reciprocable in a second direction for.

the striker bar to drive the punching tools operatively against thematerial; III. A plurality of interposer means each locatedsubstantially between a respective one of the punching tools and thestriker bar;

IV. Means mounting each of the interposer means for movement between aposition eflective to transmit motion from the striker bar to itsrespective punching tool, and a position efiective to idle itsrespective punching tool, whereby to select the'desired punch,- ingtools for operation;

V. And a pair of fiexure springs extending in a direction transverse tothe second direction, secured in place and connected to the respectiveopposite ends a of the reciprocable means to limit'movement thereoftransversely to the second direction and being sufselected directionwhereby to move the drive member through its punch-actuatingreciprocation; V. And at least one fiexure spring secured to the frameand extending therefrom in a direction transverse to the selecteddirection;

VI. The extending part of the flexure spring being co'n nected to limitmovement of the carriage transversely it to the selected directionand'being suflicientlybendable to permit such reciprocation thereof inthe selected direction.

10. A mechanism for punching material, comprising: i

I. A supporting frame;

II. At least one punching tool;

HI. Means for actuating the punching tool including A. A carriagereciprocable in a selected direction,

and having opposite ends with respect to a direction transverse thereto,

B. Spring-holders at the opposite ends of the carriage,

C. And a member on the carriage reciprocable therewith to drive thepunching tool operatively against the material;

IV. Means operatively connected between the frame and the carriage toreciprocate the carriage in the selected direction whereby to move thedrive mem her through its punch-actuating reciprocation;

V. And pairs of flexure springs secured to the frame and extendingtherefrom in a direction transverse to the selected direction;

VI. The extending parts of the pairs of flexure springs being connectedto the spring-holders at the respective opposite ends of the carriage tolimit movement thereof transversely to the selected direction and beingsufiiciently bendable to permit such reciprocation thereof in theselected direction.

11. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. A supporting frame;

II. At least one punching tool;

III. Means for actuating the punching tool including- A. A carriagereciprocable in a selected direction,

B. And a member on the carriage reciprocable therewith to drive thepunching tool operatively against the material;

IV. Means operatively connected between the frame and the carriage tomove the carriage and drive member through a punch-actuating stroke;

V. At least one recess formed in the carriage;

VI. A return spring received within the recess and operable against thecarriage for returning the carriage and drive member to their originalpositions after each such punch-actuating stroke;

VII. A spring seat secured to the frame and protruding into the recessand engaging the return spring whereby to provide a base for the returnaction thereof;

VIII. And at least one flexure spring secured to the frame and extendingtherefrom in a direction transverse to the selected direction;

IX. The extending part of the flexure spring being connected to limitmovement of the carriage transversely to the selected direction andbeing sufficiently bendable to permit such reciprocation thereof in theselected direction.

12. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. A supporting frame;

It. At least one punching tool;

III. Means for actuating the punching tool including A. A carriagehaving opposite ends with respect to a selected direction andreciprocable in that direction.

B. And a member on a first end of the carriage reciprocable therewith todrive the punching tool operatively against the material;

IV. Means operatively connected between the frame and a second end ofthe carriage to move the carriage and drive member through apunch-actuating stroke;

V. And at least one flexure spring secured to the frame and extendingtherefrom in a direction transverse to the selected direction;

VI. The extending part of the flexure spring being connected to limitmovement of the first end of the carriage transversely to the selecteddirection and being sufficiently bendable to permit such reciprocationthereof in the selected direction.

13. A mechanism for punching material, comprising:

I. A supporting frame;

II. At least one punching tool;

III. Means for actuating the punching tool including- A. A verticallyreciprocable carriage having upper and lower portions, and opposite endswith respect to a horizontal direction,

B. And a member on the lower portion of the carriage reciprocabletherewith to drive the punching tool operatively against the material;

IV. Means operatively connected between the frame and the upper portionof the carriage to move the carriage and drive member through apunch-actuating stroke;

V. And a pair of flexure springs secured to the frame and extendinghorizontally therefrom;

VI. The extending parts of the fiexure springs being connected to therespective opposite ends of the lower portion of the carriage to limithorizontal movement thereof and being sufliciently bendable to permitsuch vertical reciprocation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,862,555 Jurgens et a1 Dec. 2, 1958 2,999,632 Tailleur Sept. 12, 1961FOREIGN PATENTS 551,200 Italy Nov. 16, 1956

1. A MECHANISM FOR PUNCHING MATERIAL, COMPRISING: I. APPARATUS HAVING ACUTTING TOOL MEANS FORMED WITH A CUTTING SURFACE; II. AND INCLUDINGACTUATING MEANS ARRANGED TO PROVIDE MOVEMENT TO SAID CUTTING TOOL MEANSIN A SELECTED DIRECTION OPERATIVELY AGAINST THE MATERIAL; III. ANDFURTHER INCLUDING INTERPOSER MEANS ARRANGED TO SELECTIVELY FORM ANOPERATIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID CUTTING TOOL MEANS AND SAID ACTUATINGMEANS; IV. AND AT LEAST ONE FLEXIBLE MEMBER SECURED IN PLACE ANDCONNECTED TO LIMIT DISPLACEMENT OF THE ACTUATING MEANS TRANSVERSELY TOTHE SELECTED DIRECTION AND BEING SUFFICIENTLY BENDABLE TO PERMIT SUCHMOVEMENT THEREOF IN THE SELECTED DIRECTION.